The Cultural Geography of South Asia

1
The Cultural Geography of South Asia

• Population Patterns

2
Introduction

• More than 1,204 million people live in South Asia
• About 22 of the worlds population
• 920 million people live in India, the worlds
  second largest country in terms of population.
• Makes up more than 76 of the regions population.

3
Human Characteristics

• The people of this region can be divided into 6
  major religions, hundreds of languages, and
  numerous social groups
• India
• Religion can be anything from Hindu to Muslim,
  Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, or Christian
• The people ancestral roots can trace back to
  Europe or Central Asia, or native Indian.

4
Human Characteristics

• Pakistan and Bangladesh
• In both countries, 9 out of 10 people are
  Muslims.
• In Pakistan, there are at least 5 main ethnic
  groups, while in Bangladesh, virtually all of the
  people are Bengali.

5
Human Characteristics

• Sri Lanka
• Conflict divides Sri Lankas two main ethnic
  groupsthe Sinhalese and the Tamils.
• Each group inhabits a different part of the
  island, speak different languages, and practice
  different religions.
• The Sinhalese are Buddhist
• The Tamils are Hindu
• The Sinhalese are the majority and control the
  government however the Tamils have pressured the
  government to create a separate Tamil state.

6
Human Characteristics

• Bhutan and Nepal
• Most inhabitants trace their original roots to
  Mongolia, and therefore, quite different in
  appearance from the other people in the region.
• The best-known Nepalese are the Sherpas, famous
  world-wide for their mountaineering skills which
  assisted in the first conquest of Mt. Everest.

7
Population Density and Distribution

• South Asias overall population density is
  high756 people per square mile
• About 7 times the world average.
• The rate of population growth is also high
• It is estimated that is the growth rate remains
  the same, the population will double in less than
  40 years.

8
Population Density and Distribution

• Regional Variation
• Factors such as climate, vegetation, and terrain
  have an impact on the number of people the land
  can support.
• Some of the most fertile farmland in South Asia
  can support many thousands of people per square
  mile, while other areas, such as the
  glacier-dotted mountains of Nepal and Bhutan, can
  support only a few people per square mile.

9
Population Density and Distribution

• Densely Populated Areas
• The greatest concentration of people is found on
  the fertile Indo-Gangetic Plain and along the
  monsoon-watered coasts of the peninsula.
• In Sri Lanka, most of the people live in rural
  villages near large plantations which require a
  large workforce
• The most densely populated country in the region
  is Bangladesh, 2,320 people per square mile.
• Problems
• Not enough food to go around, despite the rich
  farmland.
• Disease spreads rapidly in areas of high
  population.

10
Population Density and Distribution

• Less Densely Populated Regions
• Indias Deccan Plateau is not as populous as the
  Indo-Gangetic Plain.
• The population of the Thar Desert is sparse.
• Few people inhabit the mountains of western
  Pakistan.
• Both Bhutan and Nepal has low population
  densities.

11
Urbanization

• The Regions Largest Cities
• Calcutta is Indias largest city
• Bombay is Indias main water port
• Delhi is Indias third largest city
• Dhaka, Bangladesh, has more people per square
  mile than any city in the world except Lagos,
  Nigeria.
• In Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, massive
  housing developments are being built to
  accommodate the growing population

12
Urbanization

• The percentage of South Asians living in urban
  areas is generally low.
• Rapid Urban Growth
• People are migrating to urban areas in search of
  better jobs and higher wages.
• Challenges
• Overcrowded Cities
• Strain of Public Facilities (ex. Schools and
  Hospitals)

13
The Cultural Geography of South Asia

• History and Government

14
Early History

• The first great civilization was built in the
  area known today as Pakistan about
• 2500 B.C. founded by immigrants from Iran
• They developed a writing system, a strong central
  government, and rich overseas trade.
• The Aryans
• Though they left little evidence of their
  existence, they did leave behind a great body of
  sacred literature known as the VEDAS
• (Contd)

15
Early History

• Aryans (Contd)
• Vedas
• These four books tell about their religious
  beliefs.
• They also explain how Aryan society was divided
  into three classes
• Nobles
• Priests
• Ordinary People
• Eventually these classes became a rigid caste
  system developed in which people could not change
  their social status

16
Religions

• Two of the worlds great religions began in
  IndiaHinduism and Buddhism
• Hinduism
• Grew out of Aryan culture and incorporated the
  caste system first laid out in the Vedas
• Hinduism is both a way of life and a set of
  beliefs
• Basics
• People must live according to their own dharma,
  or moral duty.
• All good actions are rewarded and bad actions
  punished according to the law of karma.
• People are reincarnated, or reborn, repeatedly
  until they have overcome their weaknesses and
  earthly desires. At that point, they are
  released from the cycle of rebirth.
• Hinduism recognizes many gods and goddesses.
  Many Hindus see them as different forms of one
  being.
• Hinduism sees all of the worlds religions as
  different paths toward the same goal.

17
Religions

• Buddhism
• A prince, Siddhartha Gautama, was born into a
  life of luxury however, his awareness of human
  suffering made him unable to enjoy life.
• After years of spiritual searching and intense
  meditation, he perceived the true nature of human
  existence for the first time. In doing so, he
  became known as Buddha, or the Awakened One
• (Contd)

18
Religions

• Buddhism (Contd)
• 4 Noble Truths
• First Noble Truth
• Nothing lasts forever. Understand this and be not
  attached to what you are experiencing, otherwise
  you will experience suffering.
• Second Noble Truth
• The arising of suffering because of craving.
• Third Noble Truth
• One can end eternal suffering by ending the
  craving that leads to continuation of suffering.
• Forth Noble Truth
• One can achieve true freedom by living a life of
  true detachment through which a person avoids
  depriving themselves entirely of all this worldly
  and self-indulgence

19
Invasions and Empires

• This region has been invaded and conquered
  throughout history from the Maurya, lasting from
  320 to 180 B.C., to the Gupta, from A.D. 320 to
  550, to the Europeans, who first arrived in 1500.
• By the early 1600s, England had become the
  leading European power largely because of the
  success of the East India Company.
• The East India Company
• Reorganized education
• Introduced the English language
• Controlled many aspects of the Indians lives

20
Modern South Asia

• Independence
• Many people of South Asia wanted freedom from the
  United Kingdom
• Mohandas Gandhi believed that Indians should rely
  on nonviolent methods to persuade the British to
  leave India.
• Under his guidance, many Indians banded refusing
  to buy British-made goods.
• By the end of World War II, the British granted
  independence to India.
• India was divided into two independent states
• India was reserved for Hindu majorities
• West and East Pakistan was reserved for Muslim
  majorities

21
Modern South Asia

• Todays Government
• Problems developed between East and West
  Pakistan.
• In 1971, East Pakistan revolted and became the
  independent country of Bangladesh
• The current governments of the region include
  democracies and monarchies.

22
The Cultural Geography of South Asia

• Cultures and Lifestyles

23
Languages

• South Asia had 14 major languages and hundreds of
  regional dialects.
• In India, English is commonly spoken in
  government and business, although Hindi is the
  official language.

24
The Arts

• Architecture
• One of the worlds most famous buildings, the Taj
  Mahal, is in India.
• It was built in the 1600s as a tomb for his
  beloved wife.
• Other structures reflect both Muslim and Hindu
  styles
• Literature
• Two of Indias greatest works of literature are
  the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.
• Both are epic poems between 1500 and 500 B.C.
• The Mahabharata includes a shorter work known as
  the Bhagavad-Gita, or the lords song.